There has been talk, going back to December, that the Cleveland Cavaliers were eager to move second-year guard Dion Waiters, who has struggled to get along with star point guard Kyrie Irving on the court and in the locker room. Teams continue to call the Cavs about Waiters, but as a source told Sporting News on Tuesday there is “nothing imminent there” on a Waiters trade.

In fact, one league executive said, “It seems like they are going to keep him.”

Dion Waiters (AP Photo)

Despite a 20-33 record, Cleveland is considered a buyer at Thursday's deadline, because the team is eager to make a playoff push in the frightful Eastern Conference. Waiters has been offered for veteran help, the hope being that more experience in the locker room will help ease some of the Cavs' chemistry problems.

But the Cavaliers are asking a high price for Waiters. They don’t want to simply give him away, especially not with the team having headed into the All-Star break on a four-game winning streak. Over the break, Irving said that Cleveland players held a meeting following the firing of general manager Chris Grant and the chemistry has been better since.

That is in large part thanks to interim GM David Griffin, who took over for Grant and helped bridge whatever divide had developed between Waiters and Irving.

The bigger issue is the perception that trading Waiters would leave. Cleveland had the No. 1 pick in last year’s draft and used it on Anthony Bennett, who has struggled mightily as a rookie. Waiters, averaging 14.3 points on 41.7 percent shooting, was chosen with the No. 4 pick the previous year, and not getting a good return for him will cast an even more obvious pall on the Cavaliers’ drafting operation.

Even with Grant out, the team does not want that, and would be willing to give Waiters and Irving another chance to work together.